Ma boy Kragorin has struck with another chapter of the fabulously crack-shippable Acchan and Yukirin!

Haven’t read it yet but I am so excited. I can’t wait for bedtime to enjoy it myself.

Any who, here is Chapter 2 of Kindan no Hana and do check out his blog @ Kragorin’s Warehouse.

Now enjoy,

禁断の花

Kindan no Hana (Forbidden flower)

(A fictive story based on the characters from the idol group AKB48)

 

 

 

Episode two – Bonds

After the confession there was nothing for Acchan but time which was crawling slowly till the end of the day. It was just as hard for her to bear as a ton weighted concrete block on her back. She felt the burden of one being in love and not knowing the answer. She could not figure out what was going on in Yuki’s mind. But no one can blame her as even Yukirin herself didn’t know it just yet.

After a long and tiring walk Astuko finally got home but she was so deep in her thoughts that almost forgot to greet her mother. Mrs. Maeda was suspicious because she felt that there’s something wrong with her little girl.

Atsuko’s Mother: Are you okay Atsu? Is everything alright with you? You look a bit down today? Are you tired?

Atsuko: I’m… okay, I guess… It just… This was a long day…

Atsuko’s Mother: Oh I see… Then how about a shower? I’ll prepare the dinner while you’re at it.

Atsuko: Yeah, that would be good…

Acchan was like a living dead trying to reach the bathroom to take a shower. Her mother wasn’t sure about that her little angel is really okay but this time she had no choice but to wait until her daughter wants to talk about this. Until then she can do nothing but worry as mothers are usually known for.

Atsuko took a long hot shower and her mind was full of Yukirin’s pictures. She couldn’t get this feeling out of her heart as she knew that what she’s feeling right now is wrong in every way. Her morale was fighting her feelings. Until she knows the answer there’s no way for her to end this fight.

After she finished showering she joined her mother at the table in the dining room. She said nothing about what happened today, just wanted to finish the dinner soon and get into her room fast. She wanted this day to end quickly but the time was against her. It not went fast but crawled towards. Minutes seemed like hours and Atsuko couldn’t find a peace of mind. This was one of the hardest and longest days to her and she just wanted some rest after completing the first challenge. The confession…

When she got into her room she just turned on the TV so she can just loose in watching some shows. Unfortunately on the first channel she tuned in was a romantic drama. They showed a scene where the guy confesses his feeling towards the girl. While watching this scene Atsuko’s mind filled with thoughts about Yuki again. Suddenly she felt a little pain in her chest as her heart was telling her that maybe what she did today wasn’t a good thing.

As she was watching the romantic scene she got the feeling that a guy should confess his feelings to a girl and vice versa. But a girl should never confess to another girl for real because that would lead to great pain and sadness. At least this is what Acchan things about this situation right now as she only feels uneasiness and pain.

As Atsuko’s pain got stronger she decided to turn off the TV and just hide inside her bed. She was about to fell asleep but she never stopped to think about the girl she just confessed to. It didn’t take too long when she was finally sleeping so she could run away from the cruel reality.

The day has ended and the dark starry night became the playground of those who could not find shelter in the real world.

…

Soon the next day came as another beginning for everyone. The people got up, went to their workplace and worked until lunch time. Soon after that everything got back to its way and nothing showed any signs of some extraordinary happenings. It looked like just like any other day.

…

It was early afternoon when Yuki was walking on the streets again. After she finished the meeting with her manager she was free till the next job she has to take in a late night radio show. As she was looking at the windows of different shops she realized that it was long time ago since she was at her favorite palm fortune teller. Maybe it was the happenings of the past few days what implanted a strong need to get advice from a professional.

Yuki was on her way to the salon when her phone rang. At first she thought it was her manager who forgot something. When she answered the call she was surprised as it was Mayu Watanabe who called her.

Yuki: Yes?

Mayu: I knew it!

Yuki: Mayu?

Mayu: I knew it! You muted your phone, didn’t you?

Yuki: What?

Mayu: You didn’t answer to my messages again!

Yuki: Oh… yes I had to mute it because I had a lunch with…

Mayu: What?! You had a lunch?! With whom?! Don’t tell me! Did you have a lunch with a guy?! Is that it?! Since when did you have a boyfriend?!

Mayu was furious as never before. She was kind of out of her character acting as a jealous tsundere.

Yuki: No! You are wrong? It is not like that. I was with…

Mayu: Why are you cheating on me?! Am I not good enough for you anymore?!

Yuki started to find herself in a very awkward situation. Her friend seemed a bit off as she never heard Mayu being this angry before.

Yuki: No, I’m telling you. It was my manager I had lunch with and we had a very serious conversation. That’s why I muted my phone.

Mayu: Serious conversation, hah?! About your marriage with your fiancé?!

Yuki: No, you are absolutely wrong. I can’t have romantic relationship with men. It’s prohibited for us as you know.

Mayu: So you are trying to break some rules then?! Or did you find another girl to replace me?! Is that it?!

This was the line that made Yuki a little bit worried. She just recently had a conversation with Acchan who just confessed her feelings to her. But soon enough Yuki regained the control over her emotions and became able to deal with the situation. At least in some point as she was still shocked by Mayu’s sudden change.

Yuki: No, you are so wrong Mayu! It was all about work we talked about.

Mayu: Leaving me behind?! Is your career more important to you than me?!

Yuki: It is not like that. I never wanted to leave you behind. What is wrong with you today?

Mayu: Nothing… I’m just…

Suddenly Mayu started to giggle a bit which gave Yuki an impression as her little friend wasn’t really serious until now.

Yuki: Don’t tell me… Is this all only a joke?

The Mayu switched back to her ordinary self and replied like a child who just did a little pun against her friend.

Mayu: Gomen… I just wanted to try this kind of conversation. 🙂

Yuki: Mayu?

Mayu: I know you don’t have anyone. You barely answer to you messages you get on your phone. There’s no way for you to establish a healthy relationship with others. 😛

Yuki got a bit angry so she started to speak in a quick temper which is not unusual for her.

Yuki: This is not true! I answer them!

Mayu: Really? I’m still waiting for the answers to my messages I sent you earlier. 🙂

This is the point when Yuki took a look at her inbox. It says there are a few unread messages in it.

Yuki: These are?

Mayu: You forgot to look at your phone when you finished the lunch, didn’t you? It’s so you…

Yuki: I’m sorry I didn’t read them before. I was so into my thoughts so I totally forgot to check my phone.

Mayu: This is happening to you a lot lately, don’t you think?

Yuki: Maybe…

Mayu: Did something happen recently?

Yuki: Well… nothing serious I can recall of… (Except that one thing of course.)

Mayu: Isn’t that strange?

Yuki: Maybe.

Mayu: Oh, yes! I will be there shortly!

Yuki: To be where?

Mayu: Oh, sorry Yuki. I wasn’t talking to you.

Yuki: Then who did you talk with? A boy perhaps? 🙂

Yuki tried to give back some of Mayu’s previous joke, and it looks like it’s working a little.

Mayu: What? No way! It was just one of the staff members. We have a TV show with Watarirouka. I’ll have to go now. The others are waiting. Later Yuki!

Yuki: Later Mayu.

And the call has ended. Yuki was about to lose inside her thoughts again but she soon remembered her ‘mission’ to get some hints from the fortune teller. She is in a difficult situation now because there’s a girl from AKB who has a crush on her, and also there’s an another girl whose feelings are a real enigma to her. Yuki really needs some advice now because she feels like she’s about to lose control over the flow of these events.

…

As a little time has passed, Yuki arrived at her destination. When she entered the salon she called for her favorite fortune teller, an older man in glasses with almost no hair on his head. The elder gave lots of good advices to the tall beauty in the past so the girl was sure about that this time won’t be an exception either.

When they went into a private room the old man started the “ritual” and everything just went smoothly as silk. But when the fortune teller started to talk about some recent events Yuki started to feel a little tension building up inside her heart.

She asked the old man about what she can do to preserve the good relationships with the girls (from the group). The elder was a little bit uncertain as he was checking the pretty idol’s hands. He started to make some faces and talked about a disturbing “turbulences” in the present. He explained that if Yuki will not act soon then she might lose one of her friends. The old man also told her that this situation will become more and more complicated as the time goes on.

When Yukirin asked what to do the elder told her that this might be a good time to try something that she never though she will ever do. This might sound like gambling but it really isn’t. The fortune teller told Yuki to search for the answers in places where she would never try searching for them.

In the end the old fortune teller did not say anything about love and relationships but maybe this “science” has its own limitation too. After the fortune telling Yuki said goodbye to the old man and left the salon with just as much questions as she had when she entered the building.

On her way home Yukirin was in deep thoughts again. She was thinking about what the old man told her about these “turbulences”. Her heart was uneasy as she knew that these “turbulences” are caused by Acchan’s feelings towards her. Yuki very well knew the facts that every romantic relationship is banned because of the rules of the idol industry. Yuki never thought that being an idol could be this hard. And she even had a dream to remain an idol for a whole lifetime. This might be even harder that she ever imagined.

Time started to slow down as Yuki was about to call a taxi to transport herself back to home. There is still time until the late night radio show so she decided to help her mother in the housework. Yuki was ready for anything just to clear her mind from thoughts about the future of her and Acchan’s relationship. Also Yuki was redefining her feelings towards the AKB48’s ace in order to get an answer whatever that will be.

…

That day ended without any more happenings worth mentioning. The next day has come and Atsuko woke up unusually early. Usually she sleeps as much as she can and let her mother wake her up. This time is different. Something has changed inside her.

As she was about the get ready for launch[S. B.1] she got a mail onto her phone. It was from TakaMina, one of her best friends from AKB48. The little captain serves as a second father to Acchan. That is one of the main reasons why Atsuko is looking at her as she was a guy. Today’s job will be an early TV show with some of the members. Acchan was a bit worried about today because she wasn’t sure if Yukirin was also invited to the show or not. This made Atsuko a little uneasy as she wasn’t ready to face the tall beauty just yet.

After a few minutes of hesitation she finally decided to leave the house and called for a taxi. She was watching the people on the streets while the car was moving. When Atsuko finally reached her destination, TakaMina was waiting for her in the door.

Minami: Hey Atsuko! You are late! Everyone’s waiting for you!

Atsuko: Sorry…

Minami: It is okay. We still have time before the show starts. Come in and make yourself ready.

Atsuko: Oh…

As Atsuko was following her small friend into the building she couldn’t stop guessing about if Yuki is here as well, but had no courage to ask Minami directly about it.

When they reached their goal the Changing Room, Minami opened the door without hesitation and shouted:

Minami: Hey everyone! We’re here!

In the room there were just a few members from the group. At first Atsuko was a bit scared to look around and just greeted everyone with a whisper like voice. When she reached the only empty chair Atsuko put down her bag next to it. Only now had the courage to look around as she did not hear voice of Yukirin before. There were only 3 other members beside Atsuko and TakaMina. Only Minegishi Minami, Itano Tomomi and Kitahara Rie were present so Acchan could calm down a bit. The girls started some girly talk and everyone was just preparing for the show. There was not much conversation before the show started, so Atsuko got a chance to forget about her not that little “burden” she had.

After the show the girls were about to leave. They left one by one. First Tomochin, then Kitarie, then Miichan. The last two were TakaMina and Atsuko who were walking out from the building together and started a conversation.

Minami: So how are you today?

Atsuko: I am… fine.

Atsuko answered the small captain’s question with a very small voice. She wasn’t acting as usual and that’s why TakaMina was a bit curious about Acchan’s change in her mood.

Minami: Really? You are a bit quiet today. Did you work too much yesterday?

Atsuko: No… not really…

Minami: But you look tired. Is everything okay?

Atsuko: Maybe I am a bit tired…

Minami: Oh I see. I started to be a bit worried about you.

Atsuko: No, I’m fine…

Minami: That’s good to hear. Do you have any plans before lunch?

Atsuko: What? No… I don’t have any.

Minami: Then will you accompany me? I have a place to check out.

Atsuko: What place?

Minami: A cafeteria.

Atsuko: Well… I don’t really have anything to do, so I guess I will go with you.

Minami: Really? Thank you!

And just like that the two girls called a taxi and headed to this secret destination.

…

When they reached the café, Atsuko silently followed her friend going in. They quickly found an empty table next to the window. The logo on it made a shadow on the table which was shaped like a piece from a broken heart. Atsuko felt like if her heart weighted a ton right now. She didn’t want to tell TakaMina about her feelings towards Yuki because it might cause pain to her best friend. But Atsuko never could lie or stay silent if she had something on her mind. At least not with TakaMina. That girl was like a family member of hers. More like a father-like person than any other.

Minami ordered a refreshing green tea with lemon and honey. Atsuko felt a bit sleepy as usual so she ordered black tea. But inside her heart it was the bitter taste of that tea what she really needed to force her to talk more and drink less. She wanted TakaMina to know her secret feelings towards Yukirin. She wanted to tell her but she was also afraid of what might come out of this.

As they tasted their own drinks, Minami almost lost inside her cup as she was looking at the surface of the liquid and was trying to catch that little playful light dancing on it. But as time has passed and none of them said anything Minami looked at her friend and was trying to figure out why is her Acchan acting so out of her character.

Atsuko soon realized that she is being watched and almost felt Minami’s stare on her face. At first she tried to avoid eye contact. She had no courage to look deeply into her friends eyes.

Atsuko: What… are you looking?

Minami: Nothing…

Minami wasn’t this easy of a person because she never stopped staring at Atsuko. It was almost like she knew that her friend is hiding something important. Even though she did not know any details, still looked like a father who wants to scold his daughter.

But Minami had no such intentions with Atsuko. She just wanted to know why is her friend so sad and quiet today. Acchan did say nothing because she was still hesitating. She was afraid that her friendship with Minami might end this day, yet she knew if she’s going to drag out this too long then it might turn out even worse.

Minami got very curious so she decided to get a bottom of this. She couldn’t bear the silence which was coming from Atsuko and started to conversation.

Minami: Did something happen to you?

Atsuko: What?

At first Acchan thought that if she will play dumb than her friend will let this go. But Minami didn’t look like someone who will let this slip by. She really cares about her friend. Atsuko is her only real friend from AKB after all.

Minami: You look like someone who wants to talk about something serious.

Atsuko: Why do you say that?

Minami: Because there really is something you want to tell me.

Atsuko: Well…

Atsuko was hesitating again but since Minami decided to figure out what went wrong in her friend’s life, she had no intentions to let Acchan leave without telling her the truth.

Minami: I know you are feeling terrible. Will you tell me why?

Atsuko: I…

Minami: Yes?

Atsuko was still in doubt but Minami was patient with her so she did not feel more pressure than she already had.

Atsuko: The day before yesterday… I…

Minami: Yes?

Atsuko: I…

Atsuko now feels that Minami’s stare got stronger as she is now fully paying attention to her friend. Atsu has to say it because there’s no turning back now. She takes a big breath then finally starts to speak.

Atsuko: I… made a confession that day…

Minami has raised her eyebrows as she was a bit surprised about what she just heard from Atsuko.

Minami: Confessed? To whom?

Atsuko: Yu…

Atsuko almost choked on her own words. She felt like she is dying. She was also imagining the scene when TakaMina is telling her that she hates her. But Acchan has to say it now. It has to be done right now!

Atsuko: Yukirin…

Minami: What? Yukirin? You confessed to Yukirin?

Atsuko: Yes…

Minami was shocked by this fact. She had no idea that Atsuko had such feelings towards someone. Better yet she never thought about that Atsuko might have interest in girls. Not to mention that Yukirin is quite an ojousama type.

Minami: You love Yukirin?

Atsuko: Yes, I do…

Atsuko started to be even gloomier that she was before. Her heart started to crack inside as she already felt the betrayal she did to her friend.

Minami: And this is why you were so depressed today?

Atsuko: Yes…

Atsuko’s lips started to bend down as she was about to cry but she tried not to break out right now.

Minami: I see…

This was when Minami’s eyes fell down back to the cup she was looking at a few moments ago. She was trying to figure out how to help her friend. She wanted to ease Atsuko’s pain but just couldn’t find the right method to do that.

Minami: And what did she say?

Atsuko: Eh?

Minami: Did she… um… rejected you?

Minami felt a bit bad about this situation because she never had a conversation like this so she didn’t know what to say right now.

Atsuko: Um…

Minami looked back at her friend and found an another level of uneasiness surrounding Atsuko.

Minami: What did she say?

Atsuko: She was shocked…

Minami: And?

Atsuko: She said that she has to think it over…

Minami: Oh, really? Hm…

Atsuko: Well, she has Mayuyu so I don’t think… that I have a chance…

Minami: I don’t know about that one… I know that they are close but them to have a romantic relationship… I don’t think so. But since she didn’t reject your feelings then I think you still have a shot at her. 🙂

Atsuko: Minami?

Minami was smiling friendlily at Atsuko to try to ease the load of that girl’s heart has to carry.

Atsuko: Aren’t you… um…

Minami: What?

Atsuko: Angry at me? As I betrayed our friendship…

Minami: Why do you say that? The fact that you confessed to someone didn’t change our relationship. Come on Atsuko! I am not your boyfriend, hahaha!

Minami was laughing because she wanted to cheer up her friend. Atsuko on the other hand could not laugh right now. Her heart still weights a ton so she is not in the mood of laughing.

Atsuko: But…

Minami: You don’t have to worry about it. I am your friend after all. You can always have my support no matter what happens…

Atsuko: No matter what happens…

Minami: Yes, exactly!

TakaMina’s strong mind and even stronger friendship with Atsuko gives her the power she needs right now.

Atsuko: But…

Minami: But what?

Atsuko: There’s tomorrow…

Minami: Tomorrow? What will happen tomorrow?

Atsuko: We are shooting an episode for HanaKimi again…

Minami: And?

Atsuko: I will have a scene with Yukirin tomorrow.

Minami: Oh…

Atsuko: I don’t know what do… I just… don’t know…

Minami: Look. If you make Yukirin tenser in the shooting, what would that accomplish?

Atsuko: Well…

Minami: Try to relax. You can’t really know what she will say until she directly tells it to you. I know it’s easy for me to say but this is the only way. If you keep thinking about it you won’t have any rest [S. B.2] at all and you might fail the act as well.

Atsuko: I know, but…

Minami: You have to nothing to worry about. You will always have me as a friend. I won’t leave you no matter what happens tomorrow!

Atsuko: Minami…

Minami: I’m with you, Atsuko!

This was the point when Atsuko couldn’t bear it any longer and started to cry. But not even Minami was calm enough so she also started to cry with her friend.

Minami: Don’t cry now!

Atsuko couldn’t answer but inside her there was a little joy as she saw that it is not only her who is crying.

Minami: Don’t cry please, I can’t stop either…

Minami was laughing while crying. Her strong sense of empathy was legendary and it always showed itself when someone else had very strong feelings on lose.

Minami: Don’t cry!

Minami tried to calm down her friend. She even went closer to Atsuko and hugged her to make her feel better.

Minami: I’ll be with you, no matter what happens…

Atsuko couldn’t answer anymore. She hugged back her little friend and it looked like she doesn’t want to let her go anymore.

Atsuko: Minami… I’m sorry… I am sorry, Minami…

Atsuko was apologizing to her friend like if she did something bad to her even though she did not.

Minami: Why are you apologizing? Aren’t we friends? Friends don’t have to apologize to each other. Stop crying already!

“Real LOVE means that you have nothing to apologize for…”

This is how the two girls ended up in each other’s arms crying. The waitresses gave a strange look to the girls. They just didn’t have a clue about what might happened over there. But nobody said anything for a long time.

…

A little later Atsuko and Minami left the café and headed on their own way. Minami gave Acchan a final “gambare” pose with her knuckled fist then a taxi came to take her home. Atsuko did the same and the rest of the day was left empty…

To be continued…

Kragorin